[camaroJD]

Hello everyone,

I will most likely be purchasing a 1SS 1LE in the next several months and I have a few questions.

It will be my daily driver as well as a weekend track car. My first concern is tires. Right now I'm thinking I'll pull the stock tires immediately after I purchase and get a set that will be better for daily driving (better in the rain and more durable). I'd also have to get winter tires since I'm in Michigan. I'll hang on to the F1 G3s for track days. I figure I'll have two sets of wheels. Does this sound like a good idea? Any tire/wheel recommendations? I'm seeing a couple common recommendations as I search the forum. Price is certainly an important factor.

How long do the stock brakes generally last?

How many people get some sort of clear bra/protective film put on the front? Any preferred products? How much does this usually run?

Anything else I should be aware of?

[ag1leSS]

Two sets of wheels seems ideal since you need snow tires. Stock brakes will last a good while if used on street. I'd have a separate set of pads and rotors for track.

I've seen clear bras go from 800-2000. Depending on the applicator and product used. Xpel seems to be a favorite.

[sfzobie]

I daily drive mine, and while I'm in California so snow isn't a factor, I don't think the car needs much. The stock tires are about $1500 installed, so thinking about track time plus daily driving, expect to replace them before 10k miles. For the snow, going to a 19" rim will probably give you plenty of options at a better price. I have never driven in weather colder than 40 degrees so I can't speak to a Michigan winter. We had a lot of rain this year in California and I never had a scary moment driving the 1LE in the rain, the car handled fine. While unrelated, but I think it's comical, I get close to 26mpg on the freeway and average about 20 overall, this car is awesome. You won't regret it.

[dotfiles]

I daily drive mine, also in CA. I'm staying on the stock Goodyears as a daily tire for now as I don't really want to invest in a 2nd set of wheels and swapping from daily to track tires on the stock wheels would get old pretty quick IMO.

If you're looking to have a 2nd set of track specific wheels/tires I'd go 19s for more sidewall and more tire options. There are a lot of threads discussing 295 or 305 square track setups that you may want to look into.

It's an awesome daily, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

[aa406079]

Originally Posted by camaroJD

Hello everyone,

I will most likely be purchasing a 1SS 1LE in the next several months and I have a few questions.

It will be my daily driver as well as a weekend track car. My first concern is tires. Right now I'm thinking I'll pull the stock tires immediately after I purchase and get a set that will be better for daily driving (better in the rain and more durable). I'd also have to get winter tires since I'm in Michigan. I'll hang on to the F1 G3s for track days. I figure I'll have two sets of wheels. Does this sound like a good idea? Any tire/wheel recommendations? I'm seeing a couple common recommendations as I search the forum. Price is certainly an important factor.

How long do the stock brakes generally last?

How many people get some sort of clear bra/protective film put on the front? Any preferred products? How much does this usually run?

Anything else I should be aware of?

Heres what I can answer.... have had the car since April 1st... 18,500 km on it now... I'd say they're half worn.... and I do some high speed miles for long trips.


swapped the stock wheels and tires for 19" and went with Michelin Pilot Super Sport

going with Michelin PA4's for winter 285/30R19

I have 3M on entire sections... works well... just use bug off cleaner in summer before the bugs you smash at high speeds start baking into the film from the hot sun...


Paul Akhaisen from PK Motorsports hooked me up with some great wheels and tires... he s active on the subforum

[TrackClub]

The car is an excellent DD and an absolute hooligan on a track bone stock with race brake fluid and alignment. READ THE MANUAL incl High Performance Supplement one for recommended fuel changes before/after track days etc. Several posts about this subject in this section as well.

Stock brakes are just fine, albeit some upgrade pads, but that's not absolutely necessary. Rotors are beefy and don't need an upgrade. Pads should last 5-6 days depending on pace and tracks.

Stock S3 tires are about $1300 per set if you shop around. By far the cheapest option and they perform great. RE71R (295 square) seem a bit faster. Cup2s are about the same as stockers but hard to recommend for the price. Trofeo R likely the fastest but price, rain performance and longevity will be the worst.

"3M" is a must not only for the nose but also the rockers and R qtr panels in front of the wheels. Tons of rubber gets caught there at a track (I will post an image of my 3M image FYI). Wheel well rock guards also help a bit (zl1addons.com).
Lift points from the same website are mandatory too to protect rocker panels from a car lift (when serviced).

A few options re wheels/tires and several threads on this subject here as well.
The cheapest winter solution might be regular SS take offs. Or APEX wheels which seem cheap AND strong. A few use these for track duty and thus far nobody reported issues. Note folks have reported issues (bending) with other aftermarket track wheels so shop carefully.

If I were you I'd keep it stock for DD and track and gauge your tire use from there. Plus winter set.
Or you could use stockers for DD then 19s for track and winter (when the time comes).

[TrackClub]

3M treatment areas:

[mjk3888]

Originally Posted by camaroJD

Hello everyone,

I will most likely be purchasing a 1SS 1LE in the next several months and I have a few questions.

It will be my daily driver as well as a weekend track car. My first concern is tires. Right now I'm thinking I'll pull the stock tires immediately after I purchase and get a set that will be better for daily driving (better in the rain and more durable). I'd also have to get winter tires since I'm in Michigan. I'll hang on to the F1 G3s for track days. I figure I'll have two sets of wheels. Does this sound like a good idea? Any tire/wheel recommendations? I'm seeing a couple common recommendations as I search the forum. Price is certainly an important factor.

How long do the stock brakes generally last?

How many people get some sort of clear bra/protective film put on the front? Any preferred products? How much does this usually run?

Anything else I should be aware of?

I daily mine. I had the same idea as you to get a daily driver set of wheels and tires. After 9 months of ownership and 12k miles, I still daily on the GY Supercar 3's and got 11.5k miles out of them. Decided it was most cost effective to just keep running the supercar 3's and replacing when needed than footing the bill for daily wheels and tires. If you plan on keeping the car for a very long time then it might be best to go ahead and get the second set of wheels and tires. I strongly recommend you get an alignment done ASAP I got mine done at like 8k miles and my rear toe had been slightly out of whack. Once they fixed that and set the Camber to track specs the feel of the car was completely transformed!

The stock pads are great and work well for me. Just last week I did flush the brake fluid and replaced it with the highly regarded Castrol SRF racing fluid. I only did that as a preventative measure to avoid potential brake fade at my first track night. Other than that my mods have been for sound and cosmetics only.

- "Sound Tube Mod"
- Secondary Cat Deletes
- Castrol SRF Brake fluid
- Diode Dynamics Clear LED marker lights
- badge deletes

Few things to keep an eye out for:

1.) front end ticking noise when cornering.
Some people just write it off as two piece rotor noise, but its actually got to do with corrosion on the wheel mating surfaces / hub. Many threads have been written about this, I found the easiest fix was to clean the surfaces and put a light coating of anti seize on them to prevent corrosion. I haven't had the noise since.

2.) Dual Mode Exhaust (NPP) rattle.
There is a TSB out to fix this issue which involves the dealer putting some epoxy on the pins of the valves, but it will likely come back after a few months. I haven't found a permanent fix for this yet as I still use stealth mode from time to time, but others just pull the fuse on the valves forcing them to stay open all the time. They don't rattle when open.

3.) PDR
GET IT!!! BEST FEATURE ON THE CAR BY FAR!!!!

[FlashBang23]

Originally Posted by camaroJD

Hello everyone,

I will most likely be purchasing a 1SS 1LE in the next several months and I have a few questions.

It will be my daily driver as well as a weekend track car. My first concern is tires. Right now I'm thinking I'll pull the stock tires immediately after I purchase and get a set that will be better for daily driving (better in the rain and more durable). I'd also have to get winter tires since I'm in Michigan. I'll hang on to the F1 G3s for track days. I figure I'll have two sets of wheels. Does this sound like a good idea? Any tire/wheel recommendations? I'm seeing a couple common recommendations as I search the forum. Price is certainly an important factor.

How long do the stock brakes generally last?

How many people get some sort of clear bra/protective film put on the front? Any preferred products? How much does this usually run?

Anything else I should be aware of?

I too live in Michigan and daily drive my 1LE.

First off stock tires are great, even in rain as long as the temp is 45 or higher IMO. That being said I def. think something like a Pilot 4S would be a more desirable daily tire. I am currently on my second set of the stock Supercar 3s and plan to pick up a third set of wheels in the spring so I can run a 4S as my daily tire and something more aggressive for the track. If I were you I would just run the stock setup daily for the fall until it's time to throw on the winter setup. This will then give you all winter to find another setup you like for daily driving come spring.

For winter, I picked up a set of 19" TSW wheels and honestly cant remember what winter tires I have (leftover from my 15 5.0 Mustang). The car handled very well in the limited snow we got last year especially while using the snow/ice mode on the car. Buying a dedicated winter wheel/tire combo is 100% the way to go. I've done this for my last 3 RWD v8 cars in Michigan and had no issues. You should even be able to sneak some 18s on and save some money on wheels/tires.

As far as clear bra, I completely recommend it. As you know our Michigan roads are in a perpetual state of construction and the debris takes a massive toll on your paint. I personally got the entire front bumper wrapped in XPEL Ultimate locally for $600. I chose the XPEL because it's self healing and seems to be one of the best materials available right now for protection/longevity. If I could go back I would definitely do it again but I would also do the quarter panels and rockers as well. Even with the ZL1 ADDONS rock guards (also a must IMO) stones and debris still are an issue for me. I had my XPEL done by a local guy in the Royal Oak/Birmingham area. If you're interested in his contact info let me know.

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by camaroJD

...
How long do the stock brakes generally last?
...

For the cars weight, they're turning out to be very durable for track work, despite running a bit hot. Otherwise it's very much an "it depends" answer.

The Supercar3's are a great dry weather and trackable street tire, but the Pilot 4S's will be better for DD duty. That's probably what I'll get for 3-season when I go for a dedicated track wheel/tire setup.

[Boost Creep]

I've been wondering if anyone will come out with an all season 285-305 set for those of us who like to drive 12 months a year and temps go below 32° for a while.

I've been torn between a 1/2SS and a 1LE as my next car.
There so much in the 1LE I want, but I will never track the thing, but it has all the goodies I would like.

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

...I've been torn between a 1/2SS and a 1LE as my next car.
There so much in the 1LE I want, but I will never track the thing, but it has all the goodies I would like.

First of all, welcome to the forum!

The suspension is very different between normal SS's and the 1LE. I recommend driving both, you butt and heart will tell you which you want.

[Bad Anvil Garage]

I DD mine... and love it... but I'm suspecting the Recaros are starting to cause me back pain/tension just below my shoulder blades. I'm 49, 5'8" and wish the side bolsters were just a little lower. They seem to be pushing my shoulders forward and it's hard to get comfortable. I really notice it more after a longer drive in the car. I keep thinking about a Cadillac....

[Boost Creep]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

First of all, welcome to the forum!

The suspension is very different between normal SS's and the 1LE. I recommend driving both, you butt and heart will tell you which you want.

Thank you!

I've heard the 1LE is firm but comfortable.
I currently drive a '08 C6 and wish to retain it's handling prowess but gain a little more in the comfort department.
The nearest 1LE is locked away in the dealers showroom, you have to wade through a swamp of salesmen to even get close enough to look at the interior. It's a '18 silver one and they are stuck pretty close to MSRP so it needs some time to sit on the lot a little longer to get a more attractive price. Right now the chances of a test drive without signing a check are pretty slim.

My heart is demanding a new 1LE but my wallet is begging used 1SS.

I'm cheap, but known to ignore common sense.